Arthur Jumbles:Access to plutonium and the tech to use it effectively is a good deterrent.

Um...... I think thats why the US Armed forces are still there. I could use plutonium very effectively with a model rocket, or even just dumping it into a water supply. Thank your gods I have no desire to do such a thing, and that it is well guarded from those who do.

Reprocessing spent fuel is a great way of making more efficient use of it, reducing the need to mine fuel or dispose of waste. Both huge pluses for the environment. You'd think people would be all for it.

Unfortunately, Jimmy Carter has his knickers in a twist over the risk of nuclear proliferation and did his best to make nuclear power us unsafe and uneconomical as possible.

alienated:Arthur Jumbles: Access to plutonium and the tech to use it effectively is a good deterrent.

Um...... I think thats why the US Armed forces are still there. I could use plutonium very effectively with a model rocket, or even just dumping it into a water supply. Thank your gods I have no desire to do such a thing, and that it is well guarded from those who do.

There's no guarantee that the U.S. will always be there, and being well armed with nuclear weapons is a good deterrent against China. While Japan can't match China in a military build up, and has no desire to do so, having enough nuclear weapons to be able to devestate China, or any other attacker, is cheap and easy in comparison to full militarization.

JesseL:Reprocessing spent fuel is a great way of making more efficient use of it, reducing the need to mine fuel or dispose of waste. Both huge pluses for the environment. You'd think people would be all for it.

Unfortunately, Jimmy Carter has his knickers in a twist over the risk of nuclear proliferation and did his best to make nuclear power us unsafe and uneconomical as possible.

Well, it does have some unfortunate side effects if it gets stolen. That's why people are interested in Thorium reactor fuel.

So why aren't we putting sanctions on Japan if they're producing plutonium with no other purpose than making weapons. Oh right, because we like them.

Sorry can't resist the obvious troll comment. Seriously though, instead of wasting so much money on things like wind and solar we should put our real money into Thorium reactor research. Not only does it seem to be a more practical short term answer but would do a bunch of things.

a. allows us retire conventional reactors that make more waste are dangerous and as a side effect create fuel for nuclear bombs. (Thorium doesn't do any of those)b. Buys more time to work the kinks out of wind and solar power.c."Hey Iran and North Korea. Here's how you make a Thorium reactor. Your energy problems are solved now stop making plutonium or we'll send some of our surplus over via cruise missile."